Vocabulary Builder — Essay & Answer Writing
Retrenchment
noun
/ ri-TRENCH-ment /
Medium
Meaning
A reduction in expenditure, staffing, or scope, typically undertaken as a cost-cutting or defensive measure
Origin / Etymology
French retrancher, 'to cut off,' from Latin truncare, 'to cut short'
Synonyms
Curtailment
Cutback
Downsizing
Antonyms
Expansion
Augmentation
Example Sentence
"Donor retrenchment in global health financing, with development assistance forecast to fall to a fifteen-year low, has removed the option of substituting external aid for domestic governance reform."
🎯 UPSC Usage
Deploy in GS2/GS3 Mains answers on foreign-aid cuts, fiscal consolidation, or departmental downsizing; a strong phrase is 'the retrenchment of development assistance has forced recipient health systems to internalise the cost of reform.'
Relevant Subjects
📰 Related Articles
8 Nov
Current Affairs Today 8 November 2026: UPSC News...
8 Nov
ED Private Complaint: Karnataka HC on PMLA Section...
7 Nov
Current Affairs Today 7 November 2026: UPSC News...
✍️ Related Editorials
A new UPSC word every morning
Word of the Day at 7am, plus daily current affairs and free PDFs
Join Channel